NDTV announces new series - Documentary 24x7

Mumbai, Oct 13 (UNI) NDTV announced the launch of a new series, 'Documentary 24x7' on its flagship channel NDTV 24x7 yesterday.

The series, a first of its kind on a news channel, would feature an array of cutting edge and path-breaking documentaries that explore contemporary issues.

'Documentary 24x7', which starts on October 18, would be aired every Thursday at 2130 hrs with a repeat telecast on Sundays at 1330 hours. 'The new series would provide a platform for documentary films that have had a restricted audience in India. The series would move beyond the realm of headlines and breaking news to create a dialogue on broader and more enduring concerns.

It would also feature a mix of award winning works by seasoned filmmakers, both from India and from across the world. The impressive list of filmmakers include Amar Kanwar, Mike Pandey, Safina Uberoi, Sonali Gulati, Vivek Mohan, Pankaj Butalia and Paromita Vohra as well as NDTV's most seasoned talent including Sutapa Deb, Shikha Trivedi, Radhika Bordia, Swati Thiyagarajan, Sampad Mahapatra, Uma Sudhir and Tisha Srivastav.

A spokesperson said, ''Most documentary films go unnoticed in the country due to issues in distribution and marketing of this genre.

There has long been a niche but avid fan base for documentaries in India. ''Documentary 24x7' aims to nurture this growing interest and give the filmmakers their deserving credit. The series taps talents and issues from across the globe and makes the best of documentaries accessible to a wider audience base.

The series would air documentary films that reflect a wide range of subject, style, content and form. Some of the chosen films include Sonali Gulati's ''Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night'' based on the BPO industry from an American immigrant's perspective; Safina Uberoi's ''Brides of Khan'', which portrays Sydney-based photographer Alan Khan, famous for his wedding photographs of Indian, Greek, Lebanese and Chinese immigrants in Australia; ''Many Faces of Madness'' by Amar Kanwar focusing on the wide-scale ecological devastation in India and ''Where's Sandra'' by Paromita Vohra, which delves into Christian stereotypes,'' the spokesperson informed.

''Many Faces of Madness'' premiers on October 18 at 2130 hours on NDTV 24x7. It is a short film that emerges from the reality of ecological destruction in India today. The film brings people face to face with the intensity and impact of globalisation and industrialisation and passionately pleads for wisdom while facing these challenges. The film travels through images from different parts of India, revealing glimpses of traditional water harvesting systems, mining and chemical pollution, community forest protection, displacement, deforestation, bio-piracy and coastal eco-systems.

UNI